Closure cap and package



Nov. 8, 1938,

A. PODEL CLOSURE CAP AND PACKAGE Filed Feb. 7, 193a INVENTOR. Aha/lair?facial Am ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES CLOSURE CAP AND PACKAGE AbrahamPodel, New York, N. Y., assignor to Anchor Cap & Closure Corporation,Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application FebruaryI, 1936, Serial No. 82,771

Claims.

The present invention relates to the sealing art and more particularlyto a closure cap and a sealed package.

A popular type of sealed package in commer- 5 cial use at the presenttime comprises a container having a sealing zone on the side wallthereof and a closure cap provided with a bead containing a gasket. Insealing the cap, the bead usually is compressed to force the gasketagainst the sealing zone to form a seal. One of the dimculties with sucha. package is that the cap is not readily removable. Removing tools donot grip the cap securely and, if they do; they distort the cap to suchan extent that it is not adapted to be used for rescaling purposes.Since most packages of this type are used for preserves or other foodproducts, they are sold almost exclusively to housewives, who must openthem. It is, therefore; important that the packages can be easily openedwithout substantial effort on the part of the housewife and that thecaps be adapted. to be used for resealing the container during theconsumption of the contents. While closures of the above class formvery' eifective vacuum or hermetic seals, which preserve the contentsfor a long time, packers desire to provide their packages with capswhich are more easily removable. In order to accomplish this, inferiorcaps have been used, but these have not been successful because theyfail to properly seal and preserve the product.

The present invention aims to overcome the above objections by providinga closure cap adapted to form a secure hermetic or vacuum seal, which isreadily removable without the use of special cap removing tools andwhich is adaptedto reseal the container. The invention further aims toaccomplish these objects without material increase in the cost of thecap and package 4 and to improve the appearance of the sealed package.

An object of the present invention is'to provide a closure cap which canbe readily sealed to a container and can be readily removed therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a closure cap forming ahermetic or vacuum seal adapted to be removed without distortion thereofto permit it to be used for reseal purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a closure cap forming aside seal having an improved skirt which facilitates removal of the capwithout distortion thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sealed package having aside seal cap thereon and means for removing the cap without the aid ofspecial cap removing tools.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sealed package havinga cap removing member associated therewith and a side seal closure capextending over a part of the cap removing member.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice.

Apreferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawing,forming a part of the specification, wherein;

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, illustrating apreferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view, partly insection, of the closure cap shown in Fig. 1 prior to being sealed to thecontainer;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating the capbeing removed from the container; L

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating a slightlydifferent form of cap;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating a capsealed to a modified form of container;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a. still differentform of closure cap, prior to being sealed; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentarygsefctional view illustrating the capshown in, sealed upon a container. Q

Referring again to the drawing and more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3there is shown a glass container I having a neck portion 2 provided witha sealing zone 4 at the side wall thereof adapted to have a closure cap5 sealed thereto. While the container shown is in the form of a widemouth jar, it will be understood that the present invention isapplicable to other types of containers such as tumblers, bottles andthe like. It will also be understood that the invention may be appliedto containers formed of other suitable materials, such as sheet metal orthe like.

The closure cap 5 preferably comprises a cover portion 6 and a dependingskirt 1 adapted to be telescoped over the upper end of the container.The skirt preferably has at its upper end an annular portion 9 dependingfrom the cover part 6 adapted to extend downwardly substantially to theupper side of the sealing zone 4. Below the portion 9 and facing thesealing zone, a suitable gasket retaining groove or bead i0 is" providedwhich may be formed by an upper shelf portion II, a side wall I 2 and alower shelf portion l4. Preferably, the upper and lower shelf portionsare substantially horizontal, while the side wall vertical and isdisposed at substantially right angles to the shelf portions ii and I,to provide a substantially rectangular groove for retaining a gasket IS.The corners of the groove may'be rounded to facilitate the manufacturingoperations. If desired, the lower shelf may be suiliciently wide tosupport almost the entire lower side of the gasket to prevent accidentaldislodgement of the gasket prior to sealing the cap. Preferably, thelower shelf 1 4 is slightly narrower than the lower side of the gasket,so that the lower inner corner I of the gasket may be impinged betweenthe edge of the lower shelf and the sealing zone of the container toprovide a more secure seal. Preferably, the lower part of the skirtbeneath the gasket retaining groove is provided with a portion l1extending downwardly from the lower shelf H a substantial distance andpreferably having at its lower edge a rolled bead if or the like,adapted to stiffen the portion l1 and the same, etc., outwardly andupwardly. It will,

be noted that the lower shelf H by being slightly narrower than theupper shelf I i, spaces the portion il a slight distance radiallyoutwardly from the side wall of the container. This facilitates placinga cap removing tool under the skirt. Also, the portion H has a slightlylarger diameter than the upper skirt portion 9, so that the cap may betilted upwardly when removed, to permit the wire edge to clear the rimof the container. To further facilitate tilting the cap over the mouthof the container and to facilitate telescoping it thereon, the upperpart of the neck above the sealing zone 4 is provided with a bevelledzone l8.

Preferably, the cap is sealed to the container by applying verticalpressure on the upper and lower shelf portions II and I4 to press themtowards each other and compress the gasket, which in turn, is extrudedfrom the bead or groove l and is forced against the sealing zone 4 ofthe container. The bead may be reformed by pressing an annular groove 20into the upper shelf II. If desired the lower shelf may also be reformedin any suitable manner to increase the compression of the gasket or thelower shelf alone may be reformed to form the seal. When the gasket iscompressed vertical pressure on the shelves II and ll of the bead l0 maybe utilized to move the portion H from its inwardly flared position(Fig. 2) to its outwardly flared position (Fig. 1). In this manner, thebead may be substantially compressed and the tendency to pull the lowerpart of the skirt l'l outwardly is utilized to move the portion i1 intoits desired position to facilitate removal.

A feature of the invention is that the above type of seal can be readilymade with simple, inexpensive tools. without interfering with theshoulder of the container or any other projection formed thereon, suchas a bead 2|, provided be- In order to open the package with minimumeffort and maximum convenience, the container here shown may be providedwith an opener or 'cap remover 22 attached to the neck thereof. A

y can be attached to the jar prior to placing the 'cap thereon. In orderto prevent breakage of the container, due to the strains caused by thecap remover, the container may be provided with reinforcing portions 21(Fig. 3) of increased thickness at the inner wall of the container and vsubstantially radially in back of the recesses 28 for mounting the capremover.

The cap may be removed by engaging the handleend of the cap remover andraising it upwardly from the side wall of the container, as shown inFig. 3. Upon upward movement, offset portions 29 of the opener engagethe lower edge of the skirt and raise the skirt upwardly. The

outwardly flared part II by being of substantial length, acts as a leverto fold the lower shelf ll of the bead slightly downwardly and outwardlyto release the pressure on the gasket at Ii. In this manner, the gasketis loosened and if the package is vacuum sealed, the vacuum is released.Upon further upward movement, the cap is raised upwardly at one side andis tilted over the mouth of the container. During the removal of thecap, the wire'edge If prevents buckling or tearing of the skirt andtends to maintain the cylindrical shape of the skirt so that the cap maybe used to form a reseal.

In Fig. 4 a closure cap is shown having an inwardly rolled wire bead Itat the lower edge of the skirt. By rolling the skirt inwardly, the rawedge of the metal is concealed and the outside appearance of the skirtis enhanced, while at the same time, the lower skirt portion I1 isreinforced.

In Fig. 5 a cap is shown applied to a slightly different form ofcontainer, having a pry-off ledge it below the sealing zone. Anadvantage of using the cap illustrated herein on such a container, isthat the lower edge of the skirt may be positioned relatively close tothe pry-ofl ledge to permit a coin or tool to be inserted. At the sametime, the elongated lower skirt portion spaces the gasket bead from theledge so that the ledge will not interefere with the sealing orcompressing of the gasket retaining bead., A practical pry-off packagemay be provided by securing the gasket in the cap and pushing the capdownwardly on the container to form a seal without reforming the gasketretaining bead. Preferably, a cap removing member 22 may be mounted onthe container, but packers, in order to economize and save the cost ofthe opener, may omit the opener and rely on the pry-off ledge foropening the package.

In Figs. 6 and '1 a slightly different form of closure is illustrated,which may be substituted for the cap in Fig. 3. The side wall 32 of thegasket retaining bead in this closure is substantially V-shaped, and theapex II of the V extends radially inwardly against the gasket. Thisconstruction is advantageous because the V-shaped wall can be readilycollapsed or shortened by vertical pressure upon the top and bottomshelves ii and ll of the bead to compress the gasket IS. The apex of theside wall, upon collapsing of the bead, is moved further radiallyinwardly to force the gasket against the container and to increase thesealing pressure of the gasket.

A preferred method of making the closure caps illustrated herein,comprises stamping flat sheets of material, such as tin-plated metalcoated with lacquer, into hat-shaped blanks. Thereafter, the blanks aresubjected to a rolling operation to form the gasket retaining groove orbead I and to flare the lower portion l'l slightly radially inwardly.Preferably, simultaneously with this operation, the lower edge of theskirt-is rolled into the wire edge or bead iii. The gasket maythereafter be inserted either by hand or by automatic machinery tocomplete the cap.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a simple,inexpensive closure adapted to be sealed securely without any difficultyto form a vacuum or hermetic seal upon glass containers or the like. Thesealed packages provided are attractive in appearance and can be easilyopened by housewives without any special instructions or cap removingtools. A suitable removing member may be associated with the packageadapted to break the seal and to remove the cap without mutilating thecaps, whereby they can be used again to form a reseal while the contentsof the package are being dispensed. The wire edge makes the closuredesirable for use on pry-off finishes, while the skirt portion beneaththe gasket retaining bead provides leverage for breaking the seal andfacilitating removal of the closure. The caps are rugged in constructionand can readily withstand any rough usage to which they may besubjected.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to beunderstood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A sealed package comprising, in combination, a container having asealing zone and a closure cap having a gasket retaining beadsubstantially at the middle of the skirt thereof, a gasket in said bead,said bead having a collapsed V-shaped side wall, and upper shelf and alower shelf exerting pressure on the gasket to compress the gasketagainst said sealing zone, and an elongated portion depending downwardlyfrom the lower shelf of the bead adapted to act as a lever for releasingpressure on the gasket to break the seal and facilitate removing the capfrom the container, and a cap removing member pivotally mounted on saidcontainer below said sealing zone and in position to engage saiddepending portion to remove the cap from the container.

2. A sealed package comprising, in combination, a container having asealing zone at the side wall thereof, and a closure cap having a coverportion and a depending skirt, said skirt being provided with anoutwardly extending gasket retaining groove spaced from the coverportion, a gasket in said groove, said groove having an upper and lowershelf compressing the gasket to force the gasket against the sealingzone and the inner edges of said shelves being out of contact with saidsealing zone, said skirt having a down-l wardly depending portionadjacent and below the lower shelf of said groove adapted to be forcedoutwardly and upwardly to move said lower shelf downwardly and outwardlyto relieve compression of said gasket and facilitate removing saidclosure cap from said container, and a cap removing member pivotallymounted on said container below the sealing zone and adjacent the loweredge of said depending portion and being adapted upon outward and upwardmovement to engage said depending portion to force it upwardly andslightly outwardly to effect easy removal of said cap.

3. A sealed package comprising, in combina-- tion, a container having asealing zone at the side wall thereof, a closure cap having a coverportion and a depending skirt, said skirt being provided with anoutwardly extending gasket retaining groove substantially at the middlethereof and a gasket in said groove, said groove having upper and lowershelves compressing the gasket against the sealing zone, said skirthaving an elongated downwardly depending portion below said grooveterminating in a rolled wire edge, and a cap removing member pivotallymounted on said container beneath said sealing surface having a portionfor engaging the underside of the wire edge and bending said dependingportion slightly outwardly to pry the cap from said container, said wireedge preventing tearing of said skirt when engaged by said cap removingmemher.

4. A sealed package comprising, in combination, a container having asealing zone at the side wall thereof, a closure cap having a coverportion and a depending skirt, said slnrt being provided with anoutwardly flared portion at the upper end thereof for facilitatingremoval of said cap from the container, a gasket retaining groove belowsaid outwardly flared portion, a gasket in said groove, said groovehaving upper and lower annular substantially horizontal shelves exertingvertical pressure on the gasket to force the gasket inwardly against thesealing zone, said skirt having an elongated downwardly depending leverportion below said groove adapted to be bent outwardly to relievecompression of the gasket, said elongated portion having a rolled wireedge at the bottom thereof to prevent tearing of said skirt when engagedby a cap removing tool, and a cap removing member pivotally mounted onsaid container below the sealing zone and extending under said elongatedportion, said removing member being adapted to engage said wire edge toraise said cap.

5. A sealed package comprising, in combination, a container having asealing zone and a closure cap having a cover part and a depending skirtprovided with a gasket retaining bead substantially at the middlethereof and spaced from the cover part, a gasket in said head, said beadhaving an upper shelf and a lower shelf compressing the gasket againstthe sealing zone, and an elongated portion dependlng'downwardly from thelower shelf of the bead adapted to act as a lever to facilitate breakingthe seal and removing the cap, and a wire member pivotally mounted onthe container below the sealing zone and adapted to engage saidelongated portion to force its upwardly and slightly outwardly to movesaid lower shelf downwardly and outwardly to relieve pressure on saidgasket and facilitate removing the cap from the container, the uppershelf of said gasket bead having a groove in the upper surface thereofabove said lowershelf to facilitate moving said lower shelf downwardlyand outwardly to relieve compression of said gasket.

PODEL.

